Phil McConkey
Played 6 years in the NFL as a WR, punt returner and kick returner for the Giants, Packers, Cardinals and Chargers. Played college football at the Naval Academy and served in the U.S. Navy before joining the NFL. Best remembered for his oustanding game in Super Bowl XXI.

Mock Draft 2.0 (#17-#32)

This is the second half of Mock Draft 2.0, covering picks #17-#32. For the first half and picks #1-#16, click here.

17) San Diego Chargers - CB - Johnthan Banks - Mississippi State: Quentin Jammer is 33 and not the same player he used to be. Antoine Cason has never really lived up to expectations after being a first-round pick in 2008. 2011 second-rounder Marcus Gilchrist hasn't really shown much yet either. The Chargers are a team littered with holes and they could go in any number of different ways with this pick, but Banks is a top-caliber cornerback who could step in and start right away.

18) Miami Dolphins - WR - Justin Hunter - Tennessee: We've played enough games now to know that Hunter still possesses the same explosiveness and athleticism, after coming back from a torn ACL in 2011, which made him a top prospect in the first place. Keenan Allen is the clear #1 in this draft class as far as receivers go, but Hunter would be a very nice consolation prize for any team. Drafting Hunter would allow the Dolphins to slide Davone Bess back into the slot and give Ryan Tannehill another young weapon to grow with.

19) Detroit Lions - S - Eric Reid - LSU: It feels like every year I'm talking about how the Lions need to go into the Draft with their minds set on upgrading the secondary. And every year I watch as it goes neglected. Chris Houston is a decent starter and they may have actually found a gem in 2012 sixth-round pick Jonte Green, but Eric Reid is a potential future star at safety if he can learn to play with consistency. He's the kind of player who must be accounted for every time the quarterback drops back to pass, and he is a heady and aggressive run defender. The issue with Reid is his over-aggressiveness causes him to make mistakes, and he needs to play more cleanly and sharply.

20) Minnesota Vikings - DT - Sheldon Richardson - Missouri: A long road for the former top defensive tackle prospect coming out of high school, Richardson finally has set his career on the path to stardom. Quick, powerful, and athletic, Richardson is a very disruptive force in the trenches. Kevin Williams is experiencing a season that reminds us of his peak as a member of the Williams Wall, but he's not getting any younger and the team has yet to find a suitable replacement through any other means. Richardson could pair with Williams in 2013 to man the middle and be bred at the same time to eventually be his successor.

21) Seattle Seahawks - G - Barrett Jones - Alabama: One would have to assume that the Seahawks will not be investing this pick on the defensive side of the ball, leaving the two ways they could most likely go here to be wide receiver or offensive line. It's very tempting to just pair them with Robert Woods considering the USC connections with Pete Carroll, but a versatile player like Barrett Jones I feel would be more beneficial to the Seahawks right now. Seattle is currently starting infamous 2011 first-round pick James Carpenter at one guard spot, and a McQuistan brother at the other. They could use the upgrade.

22) Pittsburgh Steelers - OLB - Damontre Moore - Texas A&M: Moore is a guy who sort of really came out of nowhere this season, but has become one of the most fearsome pass-rushers in the entire nation. He has experience playing with his hand in the dirt as a 4-3 defensive end, and standing up as a 3-4 outside linebacker. James Harrison has been hurt and ineffective, and it doesn't seem like recent picks Jason Worilds and Chris Carter have what it takes to be his replacement. Enter Moore, who could provide some life and energy to their pass-rushing linebacker rotation. Defensive line would also be very tempting here.

23) Indianapolis Colts - DT - John Jenkins - Georgia: It looks painfully obvious that Antonio Johnson is not a nose tackle. Drafting Jenkins would help the Colts fill out their defense and put players into the starting lineup that are actually well suited to play in the 3-4 system. He is a gigantic land mammal with a knack for sealing off running lanes, and would be a hand-in-glove fit for the team.

24) Green Bay Packers - TE - Tyler Eifert - Notre Dame: These are the kind of picks you get to make when you have as much talent on your roster as the Packers do. With the tragic injury to Marcus Lattimore, it leaves no real prospects at the runningback position worth taking in the first round. Another pass-rusher might be nice, but it seems to early to go that route and bury Nick Perry. Cheeseheads across the nation have become increasingly frustrated with Jermicheal Finley for years now, and with a roster bonus due to him in March, he could be a candidate to be cut. Subsequently drafting Eifert as his replacement and pairing him with a healthy Andrew Quarless would give Green Bay a pair of nice young tight ends, and that's what all the kids are hip to these days.

25) New England Patriots - DT - Jesse Williams - Alabama: You probably haven't head about it much this season, but after a career year in 2011, Vince Wilfork has really disappointed so far in 2012. He's also on the wrong side of 30, and players of his size and style of play don't have a history of aging gracefully. I'm not saying that this is the end of the line for Wilfork, but the Patriots should start preparing just in case. The Australian-born Williams is as good of a candidate as any to be his eventual successor. He's hair-trigger quick with active hands and a relentless motor, and has shown that he's more than capable of performing against top level competition in the SEC.

26) Denver Broncos - DE - Alex Okafor - Texas: Okafor has consistently shown the ability to be a valuable defender in terms of rushing the passer and stopping the run, making him one of the better all-around players in this draft class. The experiment with Derek Wolfe at defensive end has failed miserably and I think it's safe to assume he'll be moved back inside next season. Okafor would give the team a real end to pair with Elvis Dumervil and compliment Von Miller.

27) New York Giants - CB - Xavier Rhodes - Florida State: The Giants would like to be able to upgrade their seemingly perpetually embattled linebacking corps, but the state of their secondary is none too pleasing either. Corey Webster has been shockingly bad, Jayron Hosley has had a terrible rookie campaign so far, Antrel Rolle still sucks, and even guys like Kenny Phillips are surprisingly underperforming. Perhaps the one bright spot so far has been Prince Amukamara playing rather decently in his second season, but that's not going to be enough. Rhodes would give the G-Men a big and physical corner capable of dealing with some of those playmaking receivers in the NFC East.

28) San Francisco 49ers - WR - Robert Woods - USC: It must be hard to enjoy breaking school records when your draft stock is simultaneously dropping every week and Marqise Lee is going Tecmo Bo on opposing defenses (I'm looking at you Arizona). The 2012 campaign has been a disappointing one for Woods to say the least. His talent is still too high for me to see him falling out of the first round altogether, and the 49ers could use a young wide receiver to go along with Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham.

29) Baltimore Ravens - G - Jonathan Cooper - North Carolina: It remains unclear whether or not the Ravens plan to keep 2012 second-round pick Kelechi Osemele at right tackle in the future or move him back to guard, considering his highly erratic and inconsistent play. If he is kept on the right side, the team still needs to fill a spot at guard, and Jonathan Cooper would be a more than adequate man to take the job. The Ravens would really hope that either John Jenkins or Jesse Williams falls here to them, as they are in dire need of a player who can take over the job at nose tackle.

30) Chicago Bears - OT - Dallas Thomas - Tennessee: You may have heard once or twice over the past couple seasons, but the Bears could use some offensive line help. Dallas Thomas would give them a surprisingly athletic and technically sound offensive tackle they can play on the blindside. The major knock on Thomas is his lack of foot speed, but I think this is more due to laziness than an inability to hold up against superior speed-rushers on the outside. If he can combine his powerful first punch with sustained blocking on the outside, Thomas could end up being a bargain at the end of the first round.

31) Houston Texans - OT - Brennan Williams - North Carolina: Unfortunately sidelined for the rest of the season after having surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder, Williams is a strong and sturdy lineman best suited to play right tackle in the NFL. The Texans need to retool their offensive line in an effort to return it to the level it was at in 2011, and that starts with replacing Derek Newton as the right side bookend.

32) Atlanta Falcons - DE - Dion Jordan - Oregon: A tremendously gifted athlete for his size (6'7", 243 lbs.) to the point that it's somewhat scary, Jordan is a unique kind of player in the fullest sense of the word. I can't really recall any prospect in recent memory that was similar to him, and he is one of my favorite prospects in the 2013 Draft just in terms of following him throughout the process and seeing who is interested. His best traits right now are a lightning fast first step and hands that are just as quick. He really lacks a natural position, though I think his best bet would be to fill out his frame some more and become a full-time 4-3 defensive end. John Abraham can't keep doing this forever, and Ray Edwards has been a full flop after signing his contract with the Falcons. Did I mention that he also plays slot corner?

5 Comments

Trumpetbdw
- 11-10-2012 12:44 AM

An outside pass rusher does seem like it will be a priority for Pittsburgh in the next draft, but I'd probably place a higher priority on the secondary, especially since they usually are able to find guys that fit their system in later rounds. They need to get younger and more talented back there. At this early stage, it seems that if they'd get a shot at Eric Reid, it would make sense to grab him, but if not, I'd be happy to see them get a guy like Xavier Rhodes.

@Trumpet: Times have changed. The Steelers got all those starters on D for bargains because there weren't as many 34 Ds at the time.

I personally don't think Woods's stock should be hurt just because of Lee's production. He probably would have been a top 15 pick if Lee weren't on the team though.

Dion Jordan is also my favorite player in the draft. If he can just bulk up, he'll be the steal of the draft. He shouldn't have to be a steal though. Teams are going to pass on him because of that and are going to regret it. How long did it take Clay Mathews to bulk up?

Love the Bears pick BTW. Think he'd be better at guard though. He'd probably beat out Webb at LT, but he'd just be better at guard. Our interior line has been pretty atrocious anyway.

@Trumpet: Times have changed. The Steelers got all those starters on D for bargains because there weren't as many 34 Ds at the time.

I'm not disputing that, and would have no problem with the pick. I agree that guys like Lamarr Woodley would be higher picks if they were in the draft today. However, the bigger need is still in the secondary, in my view, and that's the direction they should go, if given the opportunity.

no, I refuse to let one of my favorite draft prospects go to the steelers.

Well rest easy... We probably won't finish with the 22nd pick, so he won't still be available when we do pick id love a rolb bookend to replace Harrison in a few, but I don't see us in a position this year to do so. More likely, like trumpet said we go back end in the d and pick up a safety or corner instead.

Can't even believe I'm saying that.. colbert never takes a db in the first. Well, unless they are polamalu, and we all know he's a once in a generation player.

Since were good at qb, wr, te based on colberts tendencies and our recent drafts of lots of o line and d line high, its a stud rb or rush backer that precipitously dropped, and if they don't its the best player available. Wait what am I saying? If a stud rb or olb doesn't drop its 100% going to be an o or d lineman. Theres no troy p in this class. Maybe a db. But that's a big maybe, given colberts tendencies, and the current roster. He won't jump for a db. The best safety? Perhaps...

What am I thinking?? Even if we don't {seemingly} need them. We will select the best player available. Shame on me for thinking anything else... That's worked quite well for over a decade. Next man up, the standard is the standard.

I just finished "I'm off to be the Wizard" by Scott Meyer. It started off really strong. Great concept, well thought out. It's a 3 book series (so far) and the first 1/2 to 3/4 of the first book was...